As part of the Unit two activity, we were tasked to read and analyze different videos, articles and blog posts to create a plan to support our digital identity and digital presence. I thought my digital presence and identity were sufficient; boy, was I wrong. Knowing how to turn a computer on, search the web, access social media, and type an email is not having a digital presence or identity. I now understand there is a lot more to that.
After watching David White’s (2013) video when he spoke about “visitor” and “resident,” and after creating “my technology map,” I realized that I am more of a “visitor” than a “resident.” I believe this is due to different reasons. I like to keep my personal life private on social media, but the biggest reason is my insecurities being vulnerable and open and worried that I will get judged. For instance, Kelly Schryver (2013) challenged us to ask ourselves who we “really” are online and, if we are not ourselves, why? This made me think about why I am so afraid to be myself online and create a digital identity and presence both in my personal and professional life. Therefore, one of my goals is to become more of a “resident” during my MALAT program. I want to grow, contribute, and collaborate openly with my cohort and colleagues. White and LeCornu (2011) stated, “Individuals move around the box, sometimes functioning more as Visitors, sometimes more as Residents, according to their motivation.” I want this program to give me the “motivation” to become more of a “resident” because I want to grow my digital identity and presence, especially with my learning community.
In my professional life, my role is to learn new tools, implement them and then teach them to the end-users. Our company consists of over 26 000 employees worldwide, not including all the contractors. As you can imagine, every department and business unit has its own way of what implantation should look like and what process, procedures, design, and learning tools should be incorporated. Therefore, my second goal and hope in this program are to gain skills to help me design and create a better process for implementing new tools and a better pedagogy that engages participants efficiently. Helen Beetham (2015) shared six elements of digital capabilities, although most of them resonated with me; the two that stood out the most as part of my second goal are “Digital creation, innovation and scholarship” and “Digital communication, collaboration and participation.” These two stood out because it talks about everything I need to focus on in order to achieve my goal.
As I am thinking about some of my goals, it proves that I have a lot more to learn and work towards. I am looking forward to gaining more knowledge and confidence in achieving my goals through this program. In addition, it excites me to build my digital identity and presence with my cohort over the next couple of years.
References:
Beetham, H. (2015, Nov 10). Building capability for new digital leadership, pedagogy and efficiency. Jisc Building Digital Capability Blog https://repository.jisc.ac.uk/6236/1/Digital_capabilities_learner_profile.pdf
Schryver, K. (2013, February 5). Who are you online? Considering issues of web identity. The Learning Network. https://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/02/05/guest-post-who-are-you-online-considering-issues-of-web-identity/
White, D. (2013). Just the Mapping [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/MSK1Iw1XtwQ
White, D. S., & LeCornu, A. (2011). Visitors and residents: A new typology for online engagement. First Monday, 16(9). https://firstmonday.org/article/view/3171/3049
Hi Michal,
This was very well written! Thank you for sharing. I’m super excited to see everyone’s digital presence change in the next two years. I’m curious to know do you see yourself being a “resident” after the MALAT program is completed?
Hey Jess, thanks for reviewing my blog and for the question. The goal is to become more of a resident after and during my MALAT program. We will see how it goes 🙂
Michal, Thanks for sharing your plan. I can really appreciate the fact you are aware to be judged on social media. Even though I am resident on social media, I too worry about being judged on what I post. It’s something that has taken time for me to overcome. How do plan to become more a resident? What resources and/or tools are you going to use to help you accomplish your goals from this plan?
Hi Edward, thanks for checking my blog out. I am sure many people feel the same way you and I do. It takes time to feel comfortable, and to be honest not sure if you ever really do. I am not yet sure what tools to use or how to plan it. I hope to be more present on some platforms like Linkedin and Twitter, where I would post or comment on people’s blogs.
Hi Michal. I enjoyed reading your plan. I love how open you are to grow from the program and grow your digital presence as a result. I definitely see the value now in learning with a participatory culture, but I still struggle with feeling comfortable at increasing my digital presence in order to benefit and grow from the experiences. Hopefully I will get more comfortable as time goes on. I look forward to seeing more of your thoughts on your comfort level in becoming a resident in certain domains and how you navigate the process as we continue in the program.
Hey Jessica, trust me I question myself all the time as well, but I have to give it a try 🙂